Gareth Southgate's Choices: England's Euro 2024 Squad
England will be hoping the 2024 European Championships will finally be the competition that sees them capture their first major trophy since 1966.
The Three Lions have come close on multiple occasions, with the re-arranged 2020 Euros being the closest. At a soldout Wembley Stadium, they took the Italians all the way to a penalty shootout, but were beaten agonizingly as they missed multiple penalties. The 2022 FIFA World Cup followed but they were beaten by eventual finalists and runners-up France in the quarter-finals.
Now, with a squad that has grown and matured, and with new names showing quality in the last couple of years that promise to make a key difference when selected, anticipation and expectation is as high as it usually is with the Euros right around the corner.
Who has Southgate selected for the 2024 Euros?
Gareth Southgate has been given the opportunity to whittle his initial list down further through the use of two friendlies. The Three Lions will play against Bosnia & Herzegovina before taking on Iceland. These matches will allow the national team to determine which players are ready for this summer’s tournament in Germany.
At the moment, a group of 33 has been confirmed, which needs to be reduced to 26 by 8 June (a day after the Iceland game). The squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), James Trafford (Burnley)
Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
Given the quality of the squad that has been chosen, it’s no surprise that the Three Lions are favourites for bookies. Unibet’s betting odds for EURO 2024 has them priced at 3/1, with France being just behind them at 4/1.
Which players could be omitted from the 33?
With seven players required to be omitted from the next list ahead of the 2024 Euros, it’s going to be a very difficult decision for Southgate and his team to make. Even from the outside looking in, it’s a tough task and one that not everyone is going to be happy with when the final outcome is released.
We’re likely to see one of the four goalkeepers be cut, while it wouldn’t be a surprise if we saw numerous forwards also be chopped. However, that might be the area of the pitch where people will find it harder to agree than others.
Surprising players already omitted from the 33
The squad list is so stacked with talent and exceptional individuals, it can be easy to overlook the fact that there have been numerous quality individuals to have been omitted from the preliminary squad already.
The likes of Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford were among the most notable, as they have been trusted individuals that Southgate has loved ever since he took up the helm.
Elsewhere, players like Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount have been left out due to injuries and form. Dominic Solanke is perhaps one player who might be feeling unfortunate, after the AFC Bournemouth striker netted 19 goals in this year’s Premier League season. Some might argue his exclusion has been down to inexperience. Still, if he can score as regularly as he did in the top flight, you’d expect him to handle the pressures that a competition as big as the 2024 European Championships would bring.
All or Nothing
England certainly have a pool of riches to pick and choose from, and fans will be hoping Southgate gets it right and finally makes football come home some near-60 years after it last did. If he doesn’t, there might be some questioning why he left certain players out in the first place and why he cut those that he does on June 8.
